Business

NNPCL Hails PETAN’s Support For Energy Transition

Published

3 years ago

February 13, 2023

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari, has commended PETAN for outstandingly leading the Local Content Agenda in the country and within the continent, urging the body to support the newly transformed private energy company in its energy transition process.
Kyari spoke while receiving PETAN’s top executives led by its Chairman, Nicolas Odinuwe, who paid him a courtesy visit at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, to seek deeper collaboration in business as well as seek support of the NNPCL for her annual flagship programmes, the Sub-Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC).
The seventh edition of the conference comes up next week in Lagos, while the Nigerian Pavilion at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) comes up in May 2023 in Houston.
The NNPCL boss thanked PETAN for the excellent way they have been organising and hosting both events and promised to continue to support the association and its programmes as they have always done.
On the energy transition, he said that it requires all stakeholders to be alive to the responsibility of collaborating to ensure a swift and successful one for the benefit of Nigerians.
“As a newly transformed private energy company”, he said, “our focus is now on the development of gas as a transition fuel, along with its infrastructure, and facilities are being put in place to facilitate production, domestic utilization and supply, both locally and internationally.
“With so much going on, there is tremendous opportunities for business which we, as a company now engage professionals for on the basis of competence and transparency”, he stated.
Kyari added that all challenges currently being faced in the oil and gas industry in the country are being worked on assiduously with the aim of getting them speedily resolved, adding that efforts are already paying off with the returning of investors and acquisition of projects.
Pledging NNPCL’s continued support for the SAIPEC and OTC, Mr. Kyari said that NNPCL “will be at SAIPEC in the most conspicuous stand as a show of support, and as for OTC, we recall assigning PETAN with the organising and hosting rights, and we are happy with what you’ve been doing for NNPCL at the OTC, which is a marked event for attendance for us every year”.
Earlier in his remarks, Chairman of PETAN, Mr. Nicolas Odinuwe, congratulated the NNPCL on its new status as a private sector company and commended its efforts in curbing oil theft and pipeline vandalism and which has seen production and revenue rise, air pollution greatly reduced in impacted host communities.
He also congratulated the NNPCL over recent acquisitions, adding that it would bring about business opportunities for industry stakeholders, especially local service providers, to thrive.
He said, “As a strategic partner, we are here to intimate you officially of our flagship programs; SAIPEC (13-16 February in Lagos) and the OTC (1-4 May 2023 in Houston). Both organised and hosted by PETAN annually and in strategic partnership with NNPC Ltd and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
“Thank you for accepting to attend SAIPEC. These happens to be our funding sources in addition to PETAN membership dues, donations, and sponsorships.
“As part of PETAN’s commitment to ensuring Nigeria’s leading role of championing positive developments in the oil and gas industry across the continent, especially with gas as our transition fuel, the deepening of local content in the energy ecosystem, next week, we look forward to your usual support and participation along with regional leaders from over 20 countries plus 4000 participants and exhibitors at SAIPEC, which we can proudly say, has become the largest oil and gas event in Sub Saharan Africa.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

19 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

19 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

6 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.